Category: Video Games

Being able to close out a month out on a high note after taking way too many breaks, a holiday trip, my lack of playing games and still some how being able to write and be productive. Well overall I feel good about what I’m doing. Even though I have like 100 bucks in the bank. Maybe it’s why it’s a good feeling. Because I’ve gotten to a point with myself that I feel just fine with whatever happens around me. It’s easier to deal with. Who knows.

But on to other things that could matter.

Dungeons and Dragons characters have been handed out. Scenarios have been made. Maps have been forged. But battles, encounters, and other random things have yet to be done because it gives me headaches. I guess that’s how you can tell if you’re actually working on something. Well let me tell you about this migraine I’m rockin’ right now…

Dishonred 2 has taken a back seat to starting a D&D campaign. The beginning is the worst part. Just because there is so much that needs to go into it from the get go. So, I’m hopeful that next week I’ll be able to jump back into where I left off, which was rescuing Sokolov. I haven’t even been able to put actual time in to Civ VI. So that kind of pisses me off, but there will be time after this week. I think.

Oh, and Season 3 of Overwatch has started today. Probably won’t get into that for like another week. Just because I need to hone my skills before I rage and tilt myself.

My sister called me the other day and one of the first things on the agenda to talk about was of course the election, her state of being, and then ultimately my state of being. She asked “Are you doing okay. Like okay, okay, or just eh-okay.” I told her it’s probably a mix of them all. I couldn’t really tell. Even now I can’t tell. It’s like being in a drifting state where everything seems upside down and odd.

We spoke on the phone for a good while and I expressed that Ifelt thatwith this election all that has taken place nothing I want to do with myself seems possible or important for that matter. Just because, you know, there are bigger things out there that matter more than me. But I have to understand that in my life the things that mattertome in the long run are important. They do matter. But, I can also makeadifference in those other things that I believe in. I won’t express what those “things” are because I want to stay away from politics, for now at least, but that shit weighs on me. I think for so long I tried to be indifferent about it but at this point in our history as humans I can’t really ignore it. So we bounced feelings off of one another while I played the Overwatch PTR to give Sombra a test run. It helped. Made me feel that yes I can feel like a human who wants to help others and inspire other to bring about change in this world and time while also pursuing my passions and dreams. Doesn’t mean it’s going to be any easier.

As I sit here and write this on a Friday night at 11:53 pm I’m just thinking about the things that I need to do and by the Eight (Because Talos was a human and not an Aedra so that means not by the Nine) it’s a lot of crap. I mean a lot. I got back into streaming again and it was okay. Not great but something weird started to happen. I was streaming Overwatch one night and OBS kept crashing I couldn’t figure out why. After doing some research on the forums it turns out that Windows 10 causes the crash and as of right now there is no fix. That’s according to OBS devs. They are adamant that it’s not OBS. So I will believe them and try to not be one of those people who rage over on the forums about their problems because they mean more than yours. Not my style. I’m more “The suffer in silence” kind of type. However, man-o-man is it always something that happens when I try to stream. One would think that maybe streaming isn’t something that is going to happen for me and maybe that’s true. Should it stop me it has in the past but I’m trying to endure it.

Couple of things has caught my attention in the time that I wrote about whatever itwasthat I wrote. Dishonored 2 came out and I really truly enjoyed the first one but never finished it. Sothatkind of bummed me out because I didn’t want to play the new one without playing the other. Lucky me I bought the collection edition of Dishonored 2, yes the one with the badass replica Corvo mask, and it came with a digital copy of Dishonored. So like the champ that I am. I put Overwatch to the side for a while focused on Dishonored. I power played the hell out of that game but was still able to most of the content. Took about 25 hours but I forgot how good the story was and the DLC was phenomenal. With the finishing of that I couldn’t wait to play the second and it truly looks great. I look forward to beating it.

I might have a thing about Dishonored but who the hell knows if I’ll ever get around to writing about that. Maybe I will.

Also a couple years back I started learning how to play Dungeons and Dragons. I can’t remember why it was that I got into it. But when I did, man I embraced it like it was school all over again. Just because there is so much content and rules. Naturally this is something that I like to do because there is a ton of lore. Well we formed a group with some friends of mine and we started to play. However as with what happens to a lot of D&D groups we broke up and stopped playing.Recently I have been feeling the itch again so I called the old group to see if they would be interested in getting back into it. The reaction was a little better than I thought it’d be. The group is back together. Hopefully we can get together before the holiday to make the characters so I can get the campaign going here soon. That I know I will blog about just because it’s something that I did with the last campaign on Tumblr. Mostly because I just enjoy writing the content of what the group does and what I plan on doing in the future to them. It’s a good way to keep track of all the content for the group.

So that is all right now. Not too much going on. I’ll try harder to write because it’s important for my sanity, I hope.

Made a quick video for Sombra’s gear. I’m too excited about her. The Hype is real and I’m fan-boying hard. I plan to make more but honestly who knows but I am in love with Sombra already. I look forward to raging over the fact that I can’t play her very well in the near future.

So it’s been some time that I haven’t said anything worth reading. I can admit that. Frankly I haven’t been active on this site as much as I thought that I would be. Sure, there are a myriad of reason to why I haven’t written anything and yes all of those would be excuses. They would. I look at the calendar on the main page of my site and all it does is prove that I haven’t done anything. I haven’t used this site to my full advantage because of whatever half-assed reason. It sucks. More so because it’s my fault.

But let’s be a little positive now. Video games are coming out and there are some that I’am really looking forward to. This weekend I got my hands on Battlefield 1. Which slapped me back to when I was nine when I popped in Medal of Honor circa 1999. That game much like the Steven Spielberg’s award winning film, “Saving Private Ryan” just throws you into battle without any notice. One second you hear the horn of war the next you are storming the beach of D-Day.

For me playing a game like that was as I told me cousin the day we played it “intense.” I spent much of my youth in libraries reading about World War I and II. It was a passion of mine. So when I had the chance to play Medal of Honor it was more then a game to me even at the age of nine. I remember getting goose bumps and shaking while playing the game because I was so immersed in it. It was an insight to what those men might have gone through. It was an insight to all the things I had read in books.

Saturday night I went over to a friends house and he had Battlefield 1 and I knew what it was supposed to be about but I had no idea that it was going to to take me back to that time when I was nine. It’s a beautiful game with a ton of intense game play. I wasn’t shaking this time but if I had the time to sit there with headphones on and focus on what it was that I was doing, I could have. I didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with the game but from what I saw it covers the stories of several individuals during the time of the World War throughout various of locations. There was however a scene that sold me on how amazing this game is going to be. In the midst of a battle the smoke clears and two men stand facing one another. Armed and ready to shoot the other but something seems different in this scene. They are the only two standing in a field of smoking bodies and blood. They look on the young men is one of defeat because even if the other fires no one has won this day. Their friends and countrymen lie dead at their feet and if they choose to they could add one more. They stand there just pointing their rifles at the other but choose to not fire. Instead they show mercy. They drop their rifles and turn away from one another because one more life lost won’t change anything. The scene was one from a great war film or novel. That’s the moment I knew this game was going to be different. Originally it wasn’t a game that I considered buying but Sunday morning I went ahead an ordered it from Amazon. It comes Wednesday. Plus I got a good deal because I use Twitch and are a Prime member. So win-win and I look forward to playing it.

As excited as I was when the Summer Games released their special collectible skins and what not. This Halloween one is an omen of amazing things to come from Blizzard. I can’t get over how awesome this patch is.

World of Warcraft Legion is here. And only being a week into it’s life so is the reveal of the next major patch, “Return to Karazhan.” Veterans of World of Warcraft will gather together once more wear their finest garments for the return to a palace where the former great Medivh once called home

Legion has dropped this week and as expected it has taken my attention like an uncontrollable green storm. It’s pretty fantastic. In the next couple of paragraphs or so Ill do the best to remain as spoiler free as possible. Now it’s worth mentioning that I’m not that very far but some amazing things have happened so far.

Legion begins almost exactly where Burning Crusade left off. If you start as Demon Hunter which, of course is the new class. They’re pretty fun I will say but if I’m having to rush into battle in the name of Azeroth. I’m heading in as my Night Elf Druid, Taurile. Ah, I remember the first time she and I ventured out into the world and began questing. She was once a lowly druid scouring the grounds of Darnasus for herbs and roots. Studying the whisper of the tress and ways of the beast that roamed them. That is until the call came that it was time for her to leave her novice life behind and head into the world and fight in the name of Elune and the Alliance. With me at the helm and the love of all Night Elfs in my heart there was no way we could fail, but we did because playing a game like WOW has a pretty steep learning curve. Frankly, I’m still learning to this day.

This expansion is no different. When it comes to learning curves that is. I did not play much of the prologue for Legion and I kind of regret that. Mostly because I’m unfamiliar with the changes that have gone into this game. Plus I’m terribly under-geared for a solo play through. Which is why im taking it slow so I can learn the new styles, sets, changes, and a ton of other stuff im putting off to learn. But that’s okay all in good time I suppose.

!SPOILER ALERT ! You’ve been warned!

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The prologue of this game immediately sets the tone that this is going to be the final battle for many. This is the battle that is going to determine everyone’s fate and if the right people don’t lay down their lives, there will be Hell to pay. You eat your last meal, receive a blessing, polish your blade for what could be the last time, and it’s time to go. You take an air ship to the Broken Isles because the Legion has burst through the lines that once held them at bay, but no more. They have arrived.

This is the part of the game where I got to experience something that I have never experienced the entire time I have played WOW. A massive group of people playing at one time. I’ve always heard people talk about the “good ol’days” where Burning Crusade was where the true fans made their marks in the game and where massive amounts of people populated servers forging full blown player economies. I can finally joins those ranks of players, for how long, where that’s up to end game content to decide. But getting back to the game. As my massive group of players pass mob after mob we finally make our way to the final boss, Guldan.

The final boss battle leads into some amazing cut scenes that putting into words would do no justice and because there are two version of that outcome it’d be way too long. So I’ll just link the videos. Again…

SPOILERS!

The ending of this intro really put it all into perspective and it was infuriating to see King Varian Wrynn and Vol’Jin die. The only solace I could take from this was that they both passed defending what they believed in. A better Horde. A better Alliance. A better Azeroth.

The game tugs on your heart strings in every way. There have been scenes that have literally broken my heart because you spend so much time learning their story and investing in these characters that you feel awful to see them go. But again, this is a battle (expansion) where all those that need to will lay their lives down for Azeroth. It’s a hard pill to swallow but it’s the truth.

One of the best changes in Legion is the Guild Hall’s set for each type of hero. For Druids it’s the Dream Grove. The Dream Grove itself is often confused with the Emerald Dream because of how pure it is in both spirit and nature. It may not be the Emerald Dream but it’s as close as it can get in the physical world of Azeroth. It’s no wonder why Druids would call this place home.

There have been a myriad of changes to World of Warcraft so far and people have already deemed this expansion the best yet. All this with only being officially a week into its release. It’s a great sign to see WoW reigning like it has in the past because it proves that when the call is made the heroes of Alliance and Horde will come out in full force and fend off any threat the Legion thinks they can throw.

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Just a little heads up. I’m working on a bio/intro on my Druid and her adventures through out Legion. So far it reads fairly well and I’m excited to see it grow. Because man-o-man do we have some tales to tell. I’ll post more soon!

The other night I came home from work which was the first Midnight Launch of the year. Fun stuff right? Not really the game that came out was Madden 17 and contrary to what the game might advertise it hasn’t much changed since the last time I played a Madden which was 2008 when Vince Young was on the cover in a Titan’s uniform. That seems like a lifetime ago now. But as I lied there preparing to fall asleep it hit me. That moment of realization that everything that you want to do might be for nothing. All the work that your have put into being the person you have always wanted to be in your head may need to be thrown out the window for a normal regular life.

Do you remember that episode of Spongebob where that guy wakes up with the same look every morning, brushes his teeth, drives to work, goes to work, comes home from work, and sleeps only to wash and repeat the next day. (Cringe) That’s something that I have tried to avoid my entire life. I much rather throw myself back into culinary and work a hot 8-9 hours, on my feet, and cooking food that brings me no passion. A sad kind of thought isn’t it. It’s just an uncomfortable feeling that I’m sure we have all felt at some point.

Monday: 8/30

What I’m trying to get at is that I have been considering jumping back into streaming, but I’m nervous. I feel like this third time could be the final and I’m approaching it as such this time around. I know this doesn’t have to be the final try. Hell, if you want to do something and you keep failing at it that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to quit at it. All it really means is that you’ve found a way to not do what you want to do. That may be redundant but in my head it sounds right. Right? Anyway, I’ve been putting the stream back together. Putting pieces where they should go, setting up the proper settings, I even went out a bought a new processor mostly for Legion and the amount of people that will flock to my server, but it’ll help with streaming. So that’s a win-win. I’m getting there however. I’m getting to a point where in my head I’m prepared to get back into streaming. It’s a reassuring feeling and for as scary as it can be it feels good to feel like I’m working toward something. That feeling in itself it motivating.

Hopefully an update will follow soon on what’s in the making.

(In the weak between the two entries I was setting things up. Installing new RAM a new CPU. Trying to get my head around what I’m trying to do. Meaning, running video feed, recording, editing, updating, testing and seeing how things look. It was a productive week as far as setting up a stream of some sort)

One of this year’s most anticipated titles has finally been released and has been out now for about two weeks. The game, No Man’s Sky and according to Steam the reviews for the game is practically at a dead lock. 49,257 reviews and 52% of those votes leave No Man’s Sky at a less than stellar “Mixed” review. But why? Did we over hype this game like we tend to do with every other game or did Sony and Hello Games just mislead us, it could be both. Regardless, No Man’s Sky is still a very unique game that inspires the gamer to embrace his or hers sense of adventure through time and space.

I haven’t yet put in the time that I wanted to in NMS and with Legion just around the corner I may not be able to fully give it my attention but it’s not going to keep me from trying. Collectively I have put in a little over 20 hours in NMS and so far from what I have done and what I have felt, it’s that the space odyssey game that is shrouded in mystery I have been looking for sense I finished Mass Effect for the third time.

The beginning of the game was a little rough I can admit. Mainly because I wasn’t really sure what I was playing. And when it comes to playing a game with limited direction the feeling of being overwhelmed by a new game can be defeating. Also it didn’t help that the red blob known as Atlas wasn’t much help in guiding me on my new found journey. So safe to say I spent the first hour or so trying to figure out the mechanics of the game. Honestly I’m still learning but the further I delve and the more words I learn throughout the planet the bigger fan I become.

NMS is at its core an immersion game. A game that drops you in the middle of a desolate planet with not much more advice other then “just survive.” It’s a lonely game that at times has made me feel exhausted about seeing the same mountain or hill over and over again. But to know that there might be something new just over the mountain range keeps me trekking along. Scouring the planet for a particular metal or element while your life support meter drops and the flashing of lights from your suit begins. This brings out the fact that this game isn’t just about exploring and discovery but it’s also about survive. When I play NMS or any game for that matter I easily let the want to adventure get the best of me. Luckily in most games it’s not such a bad thing because of the sand box map layout. However in NMS adventuring just a couple meters beyond a valley could really get you turned around, but If my feet can take me there. I’m going. The great thing that I realized on Sunday was that you can actually ping a marker in distance through the binoculars. Whether it be a trade hub, drop pod, or battered down shelter the marker tool helps keep you moving without getting to far from your target of interest. This for me makes the game that more immersive. Not only are they areas to save your game or to upgrade/sell your gear but they become these areas that you actually look forward to. They become areas of great relief after walking for hours on end in hopes to discover more of the games lore. This past Sunday I made it a personal mission to dig a little dipper in the language in the game and because there is no actual map of reference you just need to follow your feet. So I went. In a span of two days I discovered a fair amount of words. But the crown jewel was when I came across a massive stone that showed me more of the language which led me to understand that there is way more to this language then just game filler. I’m on a planet that is mostly inhabited by creatures native to this planet and yet there are stones with lore enlightenment willing to teach me. But because I was low on inventory, because I’m a hoarder, I needed to return back to my ship. It took me at least an hour to get back. Sure the marker said “Arrive in 21.00” but it doesn’t count if and when you get side tracked. On arrive I had this rye smile that I was home or at least somewhere where I knew where things were. Close to home as I’m going to get for now.

Which leads me into, what I think to be a very special part of the game, the alien interaction and their language. It’s not known why or how you arrived on this planet. Are you the last hope for some nearby dying planet that is looking to relocate or are you simply a rocket man burning out his fuse up in this galaxy alone. We don’t know yet. But we aren’t alone that’s for sure. The language is a key part throughout No Man’s Sky. If you want to trade you will need to know a few words so you don’t offend or scare one of the organic life forms. More importantly the language is going to further delve into the lore of NMS and with a game that is going to be further expanded through patches I would recommend that in this universe word farming is pivotal. Also to get a better understanding of what the language lore might bring in the future check out the official PlayStation Blog NMS a Universe Filled with Lore and Language.

All in all I enjoy No Man’s Sky. I look forward to finding new planets and species. Learning more languages and meeting new aliens. Sure it may have been subjected to over hype by us gamers and maybe we expected it to be so unique that maybe we can’t even appreciate it in our time, much like the Nintendo Game Cube. However No Man’s Sky is it’s own game and if you ever dreamed of drifting alone through space in hopes to find adventure and mystery No Man’s Sky is your game. Take it for what it is and not for what the mass media painted it to be. No Man’s Sky is a unique adventure and a breath of fresh air.

It’s been about two weeks sense the release of the augmented reality game and its unified people in what seems to be an unifying time. It has been a game changer in so many different levels when it comes to being social with other people. And it’s very pleasant to admit that. In a time where things can seem bleak and unreal, Pokemon Go has brought out the fact that even a simple (but not very simple) mobile game can really bring people together. So long as the goal is to catch little monsters that we grew up watching every afternoon after school. Regardless, the game is amazing.

I am and have never been a fan of mobile games. I could never understand the desire to use your mobile phone battery for any other use then its intended purpose. Because let me tell you, the commercials with Arnold Schwarzenegger walking through battle field trying to get me to play some tap-tap version of an RTS game does not intrigue me. Walking around my city with the sole purpose to “catch them all,” does.

Pokemon Go since its buggy and yet very well received release has brought about what it means to be social in your community and frankly what it means to be active in your city. The very first day that Pokemon Go released I noticed more and more people with their noses in their phone, trying to desperately hide the fact that they were trying to catch a wild Rattata. As if that was something to be ashamed of. It’s funny because not to long after the release a guy came into my store with his three kids and I saw his phone in his hands slanted out as if he were trying to sneak a peak. It made me think of what he might be doing, but then I heard the app music of Pokemon Go. I looked at the guy and said “Hey, whatcha doing there man?” The guy instantly looked like he got caught doing something really embarrassing. He looks up underneath his cap and with a full on gold grill and tells me “Man, I’m just trying to catch this rat here!” I burst into laughter and told him “Me too man!” as I showed him my phone. He laughed it off and said “Man, these kids (as he looked down at his own) don’t understand this. This is what we grew up with.” And he’s right.

One thing that I have noticed is that there seems to this misconception that this game is restricted for the use of children solely. Sure there have been arguments on both sides. But maybe the people who are saying “It’s for kids!” are those kids who grew up not caring for Pokemon or maybe they’re just too cool to sit with us. The game however doesn’t really seem to be for kids because the purpose of the game is to adventure in the wee hours of the night to catch that Abra who continues to tease me by only walking in front of the field of my house between the hours of 11pm-4am. These are not hours that a child should be out. Just sayin’. This game however is for all of us who grew up watching this show where we were taken to this other world where these little pocket monsters inhabited it. All the while a select few of ten year old children were lucky enough to begin the adventure of their young lives, to train and catch Pokemon in order to become the best trainer in the world. This is something that many of us grew up wanting to be. Something that made us explore that random grove at a park pretending that there might be a Bulbasaur or Weedle hiding in the thicket. It’s what we’ve waited for.

I can be honest and say that my passion and love for Pokemon has subsided with age. Mostly because I could never really get in to the DS games but with Pokemon Go the passion is back. Sure it could be nostalgia because I’m so hipster and believe in that stuff or maybe it’s what I’ve been waiting for. Getting a call from friends to go and grab a few beers has turned into, “We’re going to catch Pokemon at the lake. You rolling?” And of course I do. How else am I ever going to get a Gyarados.

Regardless you shouldn’t feel embarrassed or childish for playing this game. It was made for you. I was made for me. It was made for the kid that stills lives in us who carries the desire to become the best Pokemon trainer in the world, in our world.